


i'd rather learn from one bird how to sing

by arete (aurai)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, BUT THIS IS GONNA B FUN, F/F, GUYS, GUYS THIS IS GONNA BE A FUN ONE, SOME CHAPTERS MAY BE SHORT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-12 21:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11745312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurai/pseuds/arete
Summary: (based on a prompt/thought process/ tumblrpost made by ravensloane)sloane is so, so, so gay. hurley is too.(or: a local gay sees a beautiful girl through a window and clumsily attempts to pursue her)





	1. live by love

Sloane is a mess. It’s seven a.m. and she’s supposed to be opening up the flower shop right now. Instead, she’s yanking her hair up into a messy bun, a chocolate muffin half-falling out of her mouth. She woke up late, alarm blaring to an unresponsive apartment.

 

Garfield is going to kill her.

 

He relinquished the key to Sloane long ago, as it was proven day after day that she always arrived earlier than he. For Garfield is always at the doors of the shop at 7 on the dot, and Sloane is always at the doors of the shop 10 minutes to opening.

 

… Almost always.

 

Hence, Garfield is going to kill her.

 

Sloane loves her job. She doesn’t want to get fired. Though it can be slow and boring on occasion, Garfield the Deals Warlock is incredibly eccentric, and he’s very entertaining to watch.

 

Not to mention all the pretty flowers. Sloane loves flowers.

 

She trips over her shoes as she puts them on and stumbles towards the door. She grabs her bag on the way. With any luck, she’ll make it down to the shop in less than five minutes. She can take the… mildly illegal shortcuts.

 

As she walks out the door, her phone buzzes. Somehow, despite not having a phone, Garfield still manages to call her. Sloane glances at the screen, sees his name and photo, and shoves it back in her bag. She’ll be there soon enough.

 

She leaves through the back of her apartment building and climbs the fence into the neighboring complex, sneaking by windows and cutting through the yards. In one case, she cuts through an open garage.

 

She gets to the flower shop in three minutes flat.

 

Garfield is waiting for her with an eerily chipper smile on his face. Sloane bites her lip and ignores him, brushing past him to instead unlock the door to the shop. She heads inside and flicks up the lights, drops her bag onto her stool behind the counter. She’s about to head into the back and check on the greenhouse when Garfield catches her by the wrist.

 

“WhY werE YOuu lAte, swEETIe?” he asks. Sloane cringes.

 

“I’m sorry, I overslept,” she says carefully.

 

Garfield narrows his eyes at her. Sloane doesn’t look away.

 

The little bell over the door jingles, and Sloane pulls away.

 

“I’ll check on the greenhouse,” she calls.

 

“Don’t forget your apron!” Garfield squeaks back.

 

Sloane lets out a breath as she walks through the mudroom. Her apron is hanging on a hook on the wall, and the hallway is cluttered with extra supplies.

 

Work time.


	2. dive for dreams

Hurley is a mess. It’s eight a.m. and she’s supposed to be on her way to the dojo to teach a volunteer class. Instead, she’s struggling to find her socks, much less her gi. She thanks her lucky stars she doesn’t care about makeup or have high maintenance hair.

 

The kids are waiting for her.The full time instructors are going to be so angry. The owners of the dojo, Carey and Killian…

 

Hurley doesn’t want to disappoint them. They’ve given her so much. She needs to work harder. She needs to make this up to them somehow.

 

Their one year anniversary is coming up soon. Maybe she can do something special for them. But she’ll take care of that later.

 

She checks underneath her bed one last time and manages to find her gi, somewhat crumpled and wrinkled, underneath a stack of old textbooks. Shaking her head, she shoves in into her bag and runs out the door.

 

University is a mess, but Hurley has had almost six years now of practice dodging other students. She weaves through the flow of people heading to and from classes until she makes it to the edge of campus. Luckily, she only has a few blocks left until she hits the gym. As she waits for the light of the stop-light to switch, she reaches into her bag and checks her phone.

 

_ Kids r here. Where r you? - Carey _

 

_ hey, dorkface, the kids miss you. carey included. taking a sick day? - killer _

 

Hurley types out a fast response to the both of them - _ON MY FUCKING WAY_ \- before sprinting across the street. The light hadn’t turned, but no one was there anyways.

 

She slows to a jog when she hits the sidewalk but keeps going. She only pauses when she notices something new in her path - a big SALE sign posted out near the street. It’s decorated with simple but cute chalk flowers. Hurley glances towards the shop it pertains to, and then comes to a full stop.

 

It’s a cute little place, with the style of a boutique, but they don’t sell food there. Instead, the place is practically overflowing with flowers of all shapes and sizes. Hurley can barely see through the windows to the counter, where…

 

Where an earth-shatteringly beautiful elven woman is standing.

 

Gosh, she has to go in there.

 

Hurley’s feet take her towards the door before she even realizes she’s moving, but she pauses with her hand on the door handle. She’s already so late. Can she spare the time to stop here, just to talk to a pretty girl?

 

Said pretty girl meets her eyes through the window, and Hurley has no choice but to open the door and step inside.

 

Is she going to order flowers? Make conversation? Hurley flushes as she realizes… she hadn’t quite thought that far ahead.


	3. trust your heart

Sloane has recovered slightly from the excitement of the morning when she sees something that makes her heart skip.

 

She had just been getting into the swing of things, too.

 

Garfield was going through the cash register and extra reserves to make sure nothing had been stolen overnight, as he did every morning. Sloane was drumming her fingers on the counter, bored after serving two of the early morning regulars. 

 

She had caught motion in the corner of her eye and glanced towards the door - where a striking halfling woman was looking right back in at her.

 

Sloane’s heart doesn’t just skip, it stops. Her eyes widen and she catches her breath as the woman opens the door. She had hesitated just a moment, as though she wasn’t sure whether or not she really wanted to come in, but she does. Sloane prays to the Raven Queen that she’s not blushing.

 

The halfling is blushing. Sloane lets a small smile escape her lips. It seems she’s not the only interested party.

 

The woman clears her throat and speaks, a small tremor in her voice. “Um, hi. I’m flowers. Hurley? Wait, no. I’m Hurley. You sell flowers. That’s, um. Obvious.”

 

Sloane can’t help it; she laughs. Hurley flushes even darker.

 

“I’m sorry, um. I’m embarrased now. I’m gonna go -”

 

“No!” Sloane calls out, still laughing a bit. Hurley seems startled. Sloane shakes her head. “Sorry, heh. Don’t go, it’s fine. You’re cute.”

 

Sloane delights in the way Hurley’s blush spreads across her cheeks and to the tips of her ears.

 

“I - you think I’m - um, hi. I already said that.”

 

Sloane laughs again. “Hello, Hurley. I’m Sloane. Do you want to buy flowers?”

 

“Yes,” Hurley exhales, obviously relieved. “Thank you, Sloane.”

 

Sloane holds back a shiver at the way Hurley says her name.  _ Reverential _ .

 

Sloane gets up from her stool. “Do you have any idea what you’re looking for?”

 

Hurley seems to drag her eyes from Sloane’s, glancing around at all of the greenery. She  _ bites her lip _ . Sloane unconsciously mimics the motion.

 

“Maybe something low maintenance?” She asks.

 

“Cactus,” Sloane says immediately.

 

“Yeah. Perfect,” Hurley says. She worries her lip more, watches Sloane. Sloane holds her gaze for a few moments more.

 

She silently kicks her own ass into gear. “Um, wanna come back and look at the ones we have? You can pick whichever one you want.”

 

“Right. Yes. Okay.” Hurley responds. She takes a breath. Sloane gestures for her to follow, and then leads Hurley through the hall and into the greenhouse.

 

Garfield looks up as they pass through, and gives a shark-toothed grin to the pair. He waves. Sloane glares.

 

“We have an outdoor area,” she says over her shoulder. She steps forward to the door in the glass structure. “It’s more dry and sunny outside, which is what some plants need, so we keep them here.”

 

They step outside together. Sloane lets Hurley pass by her, so she can look at the plants - but as she moves she trips on a loose stone -

 

Hurley moves like a whip, spinning and lashing onto Sloane’s wrist as she falls. Her other hand comes around to grab Sloane’s waist, helping her regain her balance. Sloane is brought back to center, and she looks down at Hurley as she gets her feet back under her.

 

They’re both breathless, and after a moment, Hurley looks up to meet Sloane’s eyes.

 

She slowly loosens her grip on Sloane, then takes a step back. She lets out a nervous laugh. 

 

“Sorry,” she says. 

 

“How did you do that?” Sloane stutters. “You - I - you were there - and then -”

 

Hurley rubs the back of her neck, laughing softly. “I, um, have good reflexes? I’m trained in martial arts, so I guess when I saw you fall, my instincts just kicked in.”

 

Sloane stares down at Hurley, transfixed.

 

“That’s amazing. Not to mention I’m like, way taller than you.”

 

“Yeah, you could probably snap me like a twig,” Hurley jokes. She swallows hard.

 

In the privacy of her own mind, Sloane bites her lip.


End file.
